Beautiful sunny weather once again and who can resist being outdoors enjoying wildlife? A trip to Farmoor was my choice today, now it has reopened, and there have been several reports of waders there which were of interest to me.
I took my usual route along the causeway, where often waders are to be found at the shoreline of the reservoir. On either side, great crested grebes, mallards, gadwall and mute swans were dotted about on the water, with pied wagtails flitting up and down on the causeway walls.
Half way along I hadn't seen any waders and had begun to wonder whether the waders were still around, but l then looked down and spotted a trio of tiny waders just ahead of me. There were two sanderlings and a dunlin feeding at the edge of the water. I walked past them for a bit, and then sat on the wall and waited for them to approach which they did before turning back and retracing their steps. Farmoor has provided some great opportunities for close up views of waders. Dunlins are frequent visitors, and this one was in its summer plumage, sanderlings are less frequently seen so it was pleasing to see them today. At the far end of the causeway nesting rafts were occupied by blackheaded gulls, coots and a couple of greylag geese.
I learned that just before my arrival there were some turnstones about, but disappointingly they had flown off , though checking the blog later they did return .With sunny weather set to continue I hope to back, as there are often terns and swallows etc there too.
From the causeway I decided to go down the sloping path to the nature reserve and take a walk along the banks of the River Thames which adjoins it. It was a tranquil scene and I could hear two cuckoos calling from trees on the opposite bank, but I couldn't spot them; they may well have been quite distant. Someone told me that they are quite mobile and he had seen them, both in flight, the female being an unusual rufus bird.
Just below the opposite bank I spotted a couple of grey wagtails. After discussion with another birder we decided they were young birds, and in fact we realised there were actually four of them. In my quest for dragonfly species I saw several male banded demoiselles and lots of azure blue damselflies. A green individual caught my attention; but although I initially thought it might be a new species, checking it on google, it turned out to be a female banded demoiselle.
great crested grebes
sanderling and dunlin
sanderling
sanderlings
three amigos!
by the Thames
juvenile grey wagtail
When considering what butterflies I still needed to add to my year list, I realised that wood whites were already on the wing and a good place for them is at Bucknell woods, a site I visited last year for the first time. As it would be just over half an hour further on from Farmoor, I decided to head north toward Silverstone where the woodland is situated and arrived at 1.45 pm. After eating my lunch I walked up the main track where I had seen the wood whites last year. As I glanced ahead, I caught sight of a roe deer standing in the middle of the track albeit somewhat distant, but after staring at me for a few seconds it quickly disappeared amongst the trees. I spotted a few whites but they were larger and had a stronger flight than the species I was looking for and hoped that I hadn't made the journey in vain. Eventually I saw a white butterfly with rather a weak flight fluttering along the grass at the side of the track, which conveniently settled close by; its rounded wings confirming its identity as a wood white. After this I saw probably about ten individuals, but that was the only one that settled.
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